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Jake the Snake is best known as a late 80s, early 90s wrestler who trotted around with a snake and terrorized his opponents with it. One time he went so far as to let the snake bite Randy The Macho Man Savage as he was tied to ropes, and this remains one of wrestling’s most shocking scenes. He’s also the man who patented the DDT.

WWE Hall of Famer Jake the Snake Roberts will be in town June 7th and 8th, possibly the 9th, as part of his Unspoken World Tour. Call 753-3463 for tickets, and the shows take place 8pm each night at Uptown theatre. At these events, Jake will “unleash his road stories and pranks he played on his opponents. You may enjoy stories about Andre the Giant, Macho Man, and Ravishing Rick Rude. Whether you are a wrestling fan or not this one of a kind story teller will keep you wrapped in his coils and leave you wanting more!”

Ten Fun Facts about Jake the Snake Roberts

He Invented the DDT by Accident

One night near the beginning of his career, he had a wrestler known as “The Grappler” in a headlock. When The Grappler tried to rush Jake into a corner turnbuckle … he stepped on Jake’s foot, and down they went: smashing The Grappler’s head into the canvas while still in a headlock hold. The move was quickly coined a DDT, and adopted as Jake’s signature move. Poor ol’ Grappler was knocked out cold. “DDT” is rumoured to stand for “Damien’s Dinner Time,” as he’d commonly toss his snake, Damien, onto his fallen opponent.

He was Terrified of Snakes

Despite referencing snakes somehow in every statement he made, and despite constantly donning one, he was “terrified of the sons of bitches.” The gimmick was WWE proprietor Vince McMahon’s idea, and it was too good to pass on. He never owned “Damien” either – the snakes were always rented for a match / tour / photo opp. And because they didn’t travel well, we’d go through quite a few snakes.

A Scripted Humiliation of Macho Man’s Wife Elizabeth Cost Him Dearly.

Wrestling is fake but people’s reaction to it isn’t. Randy “The Macho Man” Savage always had Elizabeth by his side. In one match it was decided Jake would be very nasty to her while Randy was knocked out. Her parents got so mad at Randy for letting their daughter be humiliated on national television that the Wrestling Federation had to appease Randy’s in-laws by letting Randy get his revenge on Jake sooner rather then later. This ended a feud way quicker than they planned, which cost Jake a well-orchestrated run at the champ … which cost him “buckets of money.”

He Was Such a Likable Villain It Cost Him Dearly

Like any wrestler, he clocked in his time and climbed the ranks … but WWE scrapped his shot at Hulk Hogan, because too many fans were rooting for Jake, and they needed wholesome Hulk Hogan as champ no one would boo, for the sake of ratings and image, and for monetary reasons.

What He Really Wanted to Be Was an Architect

Not only was he the first in his family to graduate high school, he’d done so with good grades. He wanted to be Jake “The Architect” Roberts, but a need to impress dear ol dad – a wrestler – kept him from it. “I was at a wrestling show watching Dad wrestle and decided in my idiot of a brain, mixed with a little beer, that if I was to ever get my father to love me, I would have to go in there and challenge one of those wrestlers.”

 

He Once Appeared on an Episode of Boy Meets World

It happened in 1996, when the cast attended a showdown between Jake and Vader. In the show, Vader was supposedly the father of a character in the episode.

Of All His Tough Matches, Andre the Giant Farting on Him May Have Been the Worst

Andre the Giant was a big guy, with few moves: one of them being to simply sit on you to crush you. A bendy move that often released gas onto his opponents. “Him sitting on me and farting on me was a horrible experience. I did not realize how long a giant could fart. So, it was like 25 seconds of just brutal gas.”

The Honky Tonk Man Legitimately Injured Jake in His Prime with a Guitar Whacking

You can watch it here. Honky Tonk man pulverized him with a solid guitar, as in, not a prop. It messed up his neck so bad, Jake says it’s what cost him his shot at the intercontinental championship that year.

He Never held a Championship Belt at Any Point

Despite being one of the most popular names in wrestling History, or wrestling in both WWE and WCW, he was never a champ, having mostly played the role of a heel.

 

In 2012, an Old Apprentice Essentially Saved Jake’s Life

Diamond Dallas Page’s wrestling career was nothing, until a mentorship from Jake back in the 90’s launched him into WCW championship, 3 times over. But they’d simply stopped talking with each other as old friends often do. But DPP called Jake up out of the blue in 2012, and found him in a bad way: a depressed drug addict who could walk. By the time DPP was done getting him back on his feet, sixty year old Jake was able to make the odd wrestling appearance again, and is now happy, healthy, and coming to city near you for speaking events.